{Giveaway} sponsorship of italian produce by the real food market and a recipe for elicoidali with bronte pistachio pesto, pancetta, spinach and roasted cherry tomatoes

The LAM always gets super excited when I cook Italian food. He will hang around the kitchen and taste everything while my back is turned. It’s quite cute, really, in a stop-pinching-the-food kinda way.

Without a doubt, Italian food has to be one of our favorite cuisines. I think if I had not been born Chinese, I definitely would want to be an Italian. Can you imagine me as an Italian Mama? Hehe.

Italian food is so simple, yet it can be so complex at the same time. Apart from the usual items we can find in Italian restaurants, there is actually a whole host of other dishes that we do not get to taste here.

For those who have been to Italy, you would be nodding your heads and agreeing with me. Italian food is so much more than the Cabonara, the Alfredo and the Bolognese sauces.

But fret not, because I have something special to share today!

If you have never heard of The Real Food Market, it is time to sit up and pay attention!

The Real Food Market is an online grocery shop selling hand-picked Italian produce – from sauces to pastas to cheeses and olive oils and jams – from a group of small-scale, artisanal food producers from Sicily and other parts of Southern Italy at totally reasonable and affordable prices.

And I am very honored to announce that The Real Food Market is now the official sponsor of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe for Italian produce!

Which brings me to my recipe for the day – Elicoidali with Bronte Pistachio Pesto, Pancetta, Spinach and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes – made using elicoidali, which are medium-sized, flat-cut tubes with spiraling ridges on the outside, great for holding onto sauces.

If you have never had pesto made with pistachio, you have been missing out on one of life’s yummiest food. Made by combining pistachio from Bronte in Sicily, with extra virgin oil, almonds, basil and Parmigiano Reggiano, this little jar contains flavor, flavor and more flavor!

This was so good, the LAM and I both kept “tasting” the pasta. In fact, in the end I had to tell him we had to stop eating or there wouldn’t be any left for dinner! The LAM even admitted that while he normally detested spinach, it really worked in this dish, and I have to agree with him. It was really good.

Let me show you how to cook this delicious dish.

Start by browning the pancetta (you can also use bacon). Once the pancetta is brown, place on kitchen towels to drain. Set aside.

Pour away the oil. In the same skillet, wilt the cherry tomatoes for about 2-3 minutes. Transfer into a bowl and set this aside.

In the same skillet, gently heat the pistachio pesto sauce. I added extra garlic because we love loads of garlic in our food, but this is totally optional since there is already a lot of garlic in the pesto sauce.

Add the pancetta and spinach. I used frozen spinach that had been thawed. If you are using fresh spinach, simply throw in the spinach and turn off the heat to allow the spinach to wilt. Don’t over cook it.

Stir them into the sauce and set aside.

In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta for about 10-11 minutes.

Once the pasta is al dente, transfer them into the skillet containing the sauce.

On low heat, stir to coat the pasta with the sauce. Add a little pasta water (water used to cook the pasta) to loosen the sauce so it can coat the pasta more easily.

I didn’t add any salt because the pancetta already contains salt but I did add freshly ground black pepper.

Grate some Pecorino (I used this delicious Pecorino made with sheep’s milk and flavored with saffron and black peppercorns!! SO GOOD!) and sprinkle some chopped Italian parsley on top and serve immediately!

I am so happy that finally, we are able to get top quality produce at reasonable prices in Singapore. The LAM is rubbing his hands in glee because I definitely shall be cooking a lot more Italian dishes from now.

But hey, don’t just take my words on this – try the produce!

The very generous folks from The Real Food Market are collaborating with The Domestic Goddess Wannabe to give away 5 sets, each consisting of one 500g bag of Elicoidali, a jar of Bronte Pistachio Pesto (180g), and a 250g wedge of Piacentinu Enna DOP (aka, Pecorino flavored with saffron and black peppercorns) to 5 readers of this blog!

Start by browning the pancetta (you can also use bacon). Once the pancetta is brown, place on kitchen towels to drain. Set aside.

Pour away the oil. In the same skillet, wilt the cherry tomatoes for about 3 minutes. Transfer into a bowl and set this aside.

In the same skillet, gently heat the pistachio pesto sauce. I added extra garlic because we love loads of garlic in our food, but this is totally optional since there is already a lot of garlic in the pesto sauce.

Add the pancetta and spinach. I used frozen spinach that had been thawed. If you are using fresh spinach, simply throw in the spinach and turn off the heat to allow the spinach to wilt. Don’t over cook it.

Stir them into the sauce and set aside.

In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta for about 10-11 minutes.

Once the pasta is al dente, transfer them into the skillet containing the sauce.

On low heat, stir to coat the pasta with the sauce. Add a little pasta water (water used to cook the pasta) to loosen the sauce so it can coat the pasta more easily.

Grate some Pecorino and sprinkle some chopped Italian parsley on top and serve immediately!

By Diana Gale

The Domestic Goddess Wannabe http://thedomesticgoddesswannabe.com/

*5 sets each consisting of one 500g bag of Elicoidali, a jar of Bronte Pistachio Pesto (180g), and a 250g wedge of Piacentinu Enna DOP will be sent to 5 winners. An email will be sent to the winners to notify him/her of the win. Should a reply not be received within 48 hours, another winner will be selected. This contest is opened to only residents of Singapore.

DISCLAIMER: While this post was brought to you by The Real Food Market, I am really grateful to know that I can buy such fabulous produce from Italy in Singapore and have them delivered to me. The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and her family are fans of The Real Food Market and uses their products on a regular basis!